-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The lawyer for comedian Bill Cosby , in response to over a dozen allegations of sexual assault by different women over many years , made this statement on November 16 :

`` Over the last several weeks , decade-old , discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced . The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true . Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment . He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that , at age 77 , he is doing his best work . There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives . ''

This terse press release tries to convince us that an accusation of rape can not be true if it is 1 -RRB- old news 2 -RRB- already disbelieved by at least one person and 3 -RRB- made against a man almost 80 years old .

We do n't know what Bill Cosby did or did not do , but these allegations should not be easily dismissed . Over a dozen women have come forward alleging remarkably similar patterns of abuse . While alone with Cosby , they say they were drugged and assaulted , then silenced afterward by Cosby handlers .

One of the victims is Barbara Bowman , a 46-year-old married mother of two , who said Cosby repeatedly raped her when she was a teenager and aspiring actress under his tutelage . Bowman has no financial incentive to speak out ; she never asked for or received money from Cosby , and the statue of limitations in her case has long passed .

It takes a surprisingly long time for victims ' denial to crack . I know this firsthand . Five years passed before I spoke about my own abuse , and another 10 before I wrote about it .

Some victims ca n't admit for years -- even to ourselves -- that we were raped . Denial , shame and self-doubt are all typical psychological byproducts of being abused by someone you trust . No one wants to be a victim of sexual abuse . It 's hard to admit it and it 's natural to think that denying a traumatic , demeaning , embarrassing assault gives you control over the damage . Victims sometimes need decades to come forward about what is perhaps the most traumatic physical and psychological betrayal that one can experience .

It is harrowing to speak out about rape and other acts of abuse perpetuated by someone you know . You feel complicit ; someone you trusted caused you terrific physical pain and humiliation . This is not like describing how you lost your wallet or broke your leg skiing . Immense courage is required to report the crime , and to allow others to intentionally or unintentionally make you relive painful experiences you 'd give anything to forget . The trauma compounds when your rapist is famous . Everybody grills you about meaningless , salacious , intrusive details .

Many people do not want to believe you . It is excruciating to hear about rape and assault . Most listeners therefore want to disbelieve victims . So it 's not surprising that these allegations about Cosby have been discredited before . Lawyers , police officers and prosecutors had powerful psychological and financial motives not to believe victims who reported Cosby 's attacks .

For these reasons , acquaintance rape and all other forms of intimate violence are vastly under-reported , under-prosecuted crimes . Victims need and deserve extra time , and extra respect , when they summon the courage to expose their assaults .

The stigma of being a rape victim is starting to erode little by little . People who were never raped are beginning to internalize that it 's normal to delay reporting rape , it 's normal to have great difficulty confronting an abuser , particularly a powerful celebrity , and it 's normal for a victim to feel shame , reticence and confusion .

Rape and relationship violence experts know that one of the most important factors in recovering from assault is that the first person you tell believes you . Even if decades-old allegations are surfacing , we need to take them as seriously as if the assaults occurred yesterday .

Let 's hope that the media , corporate leaders and our criminal justice system begin to offer compassion and dignity to women -LRB- and men -RRB- coming forward with allegations of violence and sexual assault . Let 's try to find ways to end rape on college campuses , in the military , in the NFL , in our religious institutions , in our homes and elsewhere .

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Leslie Steiner : Bill Cosby 's lawyer tries to dismiss allegations against Cosby

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Steiner : We do n't know what Cosby did or did not do , but we should take this seriously

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She says over a dozen women have come forward alleging similar patterns of abuse

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Steiner : No woman wants to be a victim of rape or abuse ; it takes courage to report it